The Chicago Bears entered the 2020 offseason with a boatload of uncertainty. They’d just gone 8-8 the prior year. Their team had loads of question marks from the quarterback on down the list. If that weren’t bad enough, they had a limited amount of cap space for free agency and no 1st, 3rd, or 4th round picks in the draft. GM Ryan Pace didn’t have much room to maneuver.

This was a time he couldn’t afford any big mistakes. Every dollar and every pick has to be used with the utmost care or he risked the Bears continuing their slide down from relevance back to obscurity.

Now here we are in mid-October and the team is 5-1 leading their division. Nobody wants to say it but a huge credit has to go to Pace. If not for a series of moves over the past several months, there is no way this team is in the position it’s in.

For those who forgot, here is a refresher course on what he did.

Ryan Pace did a lot with a little this 2020 offseason

Free Agency:

March 26th – Signed Jimmy Graham (2-year, $16 million deal)

Chicago got a ton of heat when they handed the 34-year old former All-Pro $8 million a year. After his forgettable two-year stint in Green Bay, nobody thought he was worth that much. The Bears felt different. Through six games Graham has 203 yards and four touchdowns. Both already eclipse the totals for the entire tight end depth chart from 2019. He’s been a big factor for an offense that can struggle to score at times.

March 31st – Traded for Nick Foles

Another move Pace was criticized for. He had Cam Newton just sitting there in free agency and instead he sends a 4th round pick to Jacksonville to bring in an injury-prone career backup at a high contract cost? Time has proven things differently. Foles took over as the starter in Week 3 and promptly led a 16-point 4th quarter comeback. Then two weeks later he came back to beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Thursday night. He’s 2-1 as a starter and 3-1 overall. His impact goes way beyond the stats.

April 1st – Signed Robert Quinn (5-year, $70 million deal)

By far the biggest splash of the offseason. Recognizing the Bears pass rush needed a jolt after Leonard Floyd disappointed so spectacularly in 2019, Pace handed $70 million to Quinn. It was a risky move given the defensive end was already 30-years old. Thus far, while the sack numbers don’t show it, Quinn has been a major factor in the rush. Especially the past couple of games. Two of his rushes helped lead to interceptions against the Carolina Panthers and he had five pressures on Tom Brady the week before.

7. Robert Quinn isn't getting a lot of sacks, but his influence has been huge.

Both Bridgewater INTs had him involved.

The 1st came when he ran a stunt that freed up Bilal Nichols for a clean shot, forcing a hurried throw.

The 2nd came when Quinn himself got there. #Bears pic.twitter.com/n17WRjcQts

— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) October 19, 2020

April 1st – Signed Germain Ifedi (1-year, $1.0475 million deal)

The Bears signed the former Seahawks 1st round pick for the veteran minimum. He’d spent most of his career as a right tackle. However, they were planning to shift him to right guard. An unusual move rather than just signing a traditional guard. The team felt he had potential inside. Thus far he’s held up well. He has just one penalty in six games, seems passable in pass protection is arguably their best run blocker.

April 3rd – Signed Barkevious Mingo (1-year, $1.05 million deal)

The former 1st round pick is seen by most as a major draft bust. While he never did live up to those lofty expectations, Mingo has carved out a decent NFL career. Chicago had coaching connections to him with Chuck Pagano. It was felt he could provide solid depth at outside linebacker. To the surprise of many, this has proven true. Along with 144 snaps on special teams, he has 1.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, and a tackle for loss on defense.

May 1st – Signed Tashaun Gipson (1-year, $1.05 million)

People were afraid the Bears would miss Ha Ha Clinton-Dix after he left in free agency. Then they went out and got somebody better in Gipson at a third of the cost. The former Pro Bowler has two interceptions already. He’s also been far more dependable against the run. In six games, he’s missed just one tackle. Getting a player of this caliber for basically pennies is a huge win for the team.

August 25th – Signed Cairo Santos (1-year, $910,000 deal)

People give Pace tons of grief for his misfires at the kicker position. Deservedly so. He cut Robbie Gould who has proven to still be really, really good in San Francisco. Then he sent a parade of sadness to Soldier Field with Conor Barth, Cody Parkey, and Eddy Pineiro looking inadequate to the task. Then when Pineiro gets hurt, he brings in Santos who proceeds to go 10-of-12 on field goals this year including a game-winner against Tampa Bay and a 55-yarder against Carolina. Just like that, he may have solved the kicking crisis.

September 8th – Signed Mario Edwards Jr. (1-year, $1.6 million deal)

Another afterthought signing. Edwards Jr. was unceremoniously cut by New Orleans on September 5th. Three days later the Bears got him for $1.6 million. Since then he’s become a bit of a terror as a situational pass rusher. He’s collected several pressures each week including two QB hits. This despite limited snaps. He notched his first sack of the year in Carolina.

The Draft:

2nd Round – TE Cole Kmet

While Graham has handled most of the receiving duties thus far, Kmet has begun to make his presence felt. The Notre Dame alum grabbed a touchdown against the Panthers along with another 11-yard catch. An obsession with his stats has made it easy to miss how good he’s becoming as a blocker. Kmet has multiple flashes on tape of a guy who will frustrate defenders both in the run game and pass protection.

#Bears rookie CB Jaylon Johnson…

More on-the-ball production in Week 4 vs. IND.

Aligned in press here (bottom of the screen). Work through the double-move, stay on top of the route. And play the ball.

Johnson = 7 PBUs this season (passes broken up). @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/WKE54RAZg0

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) October 7, 2020

2nd Round – CB Jaylon Johnson

This is turning into maybe one of Pace’s best draft picks to date. Johnson fell to the 50th pick largely due to some shoulder injury issues at Utah. Most draft experts saw him as a 1st round talent. He has played that way from the moment he got on the field. Johnson already has nine passes defended, two of which resulted in interceptions for teammates. He’s been targeted 38 times this season and is allowing just a 76.2 passer rating. Mind-bogglingly good.

5th Round – WR Darnell Mooney

The Bears traded back into the 5th round on Day 3 of the draft. Their target? A skinny kid out of Tulane that seemed to have some serious speed. That was Mooney. Most people didn’t know much about him. It didn’t take long to find out. In the space of six games, the rookie has essentially become the team’s #2 wide receiver behind Allen Robinson. He has 196 yards and a touchdown and should have way more if not for some missed opportunities deep by Foles where he was wide open. This kid can play and he’s only gotten started.

Ryan Pace did all of that on what amounted to a shoe-string budget. Tremendous work.